The subject matter disclosed herein relates to silicon carbide integrated circuits.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Integrated circuits (ICs) are widely used throughout modern electrical systems to transfer digital or analog signals, perform various functions, store information, and so forth. In general integrated circuits (ICs) include various interconnected semiconductor devices and components, such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, and various types of transistors (e.g., metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor, complementary MOS (CMOS) transistor, metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFETs), junction gate field-effect transistor (JFETs), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), bipolar transistors (BJTs), and other suitable transistors).
Specifically for ICs utilizing wide bandgap semiconductors, such as silicon carbide (SiC), aluminum nitride (AlN), gallium nitride (GaN), etc., may afford a number of advantages in terms of high temperature operation, reduced off-state or standby power losses, and smaller die size than corresponding silicon (Si) devices. Accordingly, wide-bandgap semiconductor devices offer advantages to power conversion applications including, for example, power distribution systems (e.g., in electrical grids), power generation systems (e.g., in solar and wind converters), as well as consumer goods (e.g., electric vehicles, appliances, power supplies, etc.). However, the differences between SiC and Si material systems, for example, can cause certain material processing and structural features (e.g., device designs and/or manufacturing processes) that work well for Si devices to be unsuitable for corresponding SiC semiconductor devices, and vice versa. Accordingly, in addition to their benefits, wide-bandgap semiconductors materials also present challenges during device design and fabrication.